Homework Policy
Homework is defined as any activity that pupils undertake outside of school lesson time, either on their own or with the support of family members. At our schools, we firmly believe that that parental involvement will develop the partnership between home and school and enhance the learning of the children.
The purpose of homework:
- To inform parents about work going on in class and provide opportunities for parents to share their children’s learning
- To benefit from some one to one time
- To consolidate and reinforce skills and understanding;
- To further stimulate enthusiasm for learning;
- To use the home environment and resources;
- To foster a partnership between home and school;
- To rehearse key skills, such as times tables, spelling, reading, handwriting and other key facts;
- To help foster good habits of organisation and self-discipline in preparation for Secondary School.
Homework at our schools:
We recommend that children of all ages read at home each day. For older children this may be independent reading for some of the time, but we would also recommend reading aloud to an adult at least 3 times per week.
The following table outlines the progression in expectation for homework from Reception to Year 6. We believe that the time children spend on homework should be capped and we fully acknowledge and support the need for family/home time. We believe that homework should be enjoyable and manageable for all concerned.
Homework in Foundation Stage and Key Stage One is recommended but not compulsory.
| Year Group | Activity | Recommended Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Nursery | Sharing books from the Nursery library | Open-ended |
| Reception | Sound boxes and/or reading books (from Oct) Sharing books from Reception library | Daily - 5 mins Open-ended |
| Year 1 | Reading and reading card (from scheme) Reading for Enjoyment Spellings (from Jan) Talk time | Daily - 5-10 mins Fortnightly - 20 mins Weekly - open-ended Open-ended |
| Year 2 | Reading (from scheme) Reading for Enjoyment Spellings Maths (Term 3) | Daily - 10 mins Fortnightly - 20 mins Weekly - open-ended Weekly - 15 mins |
| Year 3 | Reading (from scheme) Reading task (Term 3) Spellings Maths task | Daily - 10-15 mins Weekly - 10 mins Weekly (open-ended) Weekly - 15 mins |
| Year 4 | Reading Reading task Spellings Maths task | Daily - 10-15 mins Weekly - 10 mins Weekly - open-ended Weekly - 15 mins |
| Year 5 | Reading Reading task Spellings Maths task | Daily - 15 mins Weekly - 10 mins Weekly - open-ended Weekly - 15 mins |
| Year 6 | Reading Reading task Topic-based task Spellings Maths task | Daily - 15 mins Occasional - 20 mins Occasional - 30 mins Weekly - open-ended Weekly - 15 mins |
Please note that if teachers feel your child needs additional help with key skills such as handwriting or number facts etc. they may send additional help sheets for you to do with your children.
All year groups provide a topic web, outlining the topics covered across all subjects, on a termly basis. Should your child be inspired to do some topic research or an additional activity at home (for example make a model for the class topic table) this will of course celebrated or displayed at school. Whilst encouraged, please note that this is not a mandatory expectation.
In terms prior to Year 6 SATs, children will be given revision guides and additional revision tasks.
Holidays:
During school holidays, homework may continue to be sent by teachers. It may take the form of a grid where children can choose from a variety of activities.
Summer homework will be set by teachers and will be used to get to know the children better as well as seeing what they get up to in the school holidays.
Routines and Expectations:
All classes will have a regular routine for handing out and receiving homework. This will be communicated to the children and to parents at the beginning of the year.
The work will have always been explained and discussed in class before coming home. It is our intention, and good practice, not to send work home that the child cannot already do and parents are not expected to teach a new skill.
Each child has a homework book or folder and tasks should be kept in there. Work that needs marking will be returned in the folder or book. Some tasks will involve verbal feedback or sharing in class.
What to do if you have concerns:
If you have any concerns with homework and it becomes a problem at home please speak with your child’s class teacher in the first instance.
If you still have concerns, please arrange to speak to the Headteacher.
Date of last update : Autumn 2018